Maison d'Etre: The Paint Paradox Resolved

Everyone decorating on a budget knows that paint is your best friend. It's touted as the single most dramatic way to change the feel of a room, and all for the cost of a can of paint. Or two cans of paint.....or three.... depending on how many colors you have to go through to finally hit the right shade. Picking a paint color is one of the more stressful experiences in my life. I have repainted my bathroom four times trying to get it right, which is something I will never live down and vow I will never live over. The only alternatives seem to be spending more on samples than the actual paint - or living with a color that's not quite right.

Well, that job just got a lot easier. Last week at the Barnes & Noble I noticed a small book called House Beautiful Colors for Your Home - 300 Designer Favorites.

At that moment I felt like there was a light streaming down from heaven and angels singing Halleluiah. I know from working for a designer that there are some colors that just work. Once you find these winners you don't let them go. So to have 300 tried and true colors from top designers, with a sample swatch of every color, and pictures of rooms done in these colors is a gold mine. And the book is the same price as one sample can of paint:)

Here are some rooms I've long loved and now know the secret paint ingredients: